The present invention relates to a modular element for defining areas and routes on carriage roads and the like, of the type comprising a plastics body having a substantially parallelepiped horizontally-disposed configuration the transverse section of which symmetrically diverges from a top portion towards a base portion coming in contact with and resting on the ground and joining means operating at the opposite ends of the body in order to allow the modular element to be joined in alignment with another modular element.
It is known that in roadways subjected to the passage of motor-vehicles and the like it is often necessary, for example due to maintenance works concerning the featheredge or for other reasons, to make the vehicles take a given route or, at all events, to define areas through which unauthorized vehicles cannot have access.
One of the most efficient solutions for the above purposes consists in using modular elements adapted to rest on the ground and consecutively connected to one another. In greater detail, each modular element has an inwardly hollow plastics body of a substantially parallelepiped horizontally-disposed configuration. The body has a transverse section symmetrically diverging away from a top portion towards a base portion which is the one allowing the modular element to rest on the ground. The mutual connection between the different modular elements is achieved by joining means operating at the opposite ends thereof.
Currently these joining means consists of two coupling lugs provided on the body of each modular element and respectively integral with opposite end walls of the body itself. Said coupling lugs disposed at the opposite ends of two adjacent modular elements, can be mutually joined by an intermediate element made of plastic material and provided, at the opposite ends thereof, with engagement seats matching the shape of the lugs and adapted to be engaged with said lugs by relative sliding.
The use of intermediate elements for the accomplishment of the connection between the different modular elements involves an increase in the production costs, due to the necessity of manufacturing said intermediate elements separately from the modular elements.
In addition, as said intermediate elements have rather small sizes, some of them can be inadvertently lost, which gives rise to problems when the modular elements are being assembled.
It has also been found that the connection between the modular elements through said intermediate elements does not always ensure a satisfactory steadiness to the structure thus achieved. As a result, in some cases it is necessary to arrange additional connection members for properly joining together the different modular elements. As a result there is a further increase in prices and the joining operation between the different modular elements becomes less feasible.
It is also to be pointed out that the additional connection members, usually consisting of suitably shaped metal rods or bars, can be dangerous should a vehicle accidentally impinge on the barrier formed by the mutually joined modular elements.